Zircon U-Pb geochronology and petrology of the tholeiitic gabbro from the Kovanlik (Giresun) area: Constraints for the Late Cretaceous bimodal arc magmatism in the Eastern Pontides Orogenic Belt, NE Turkey

Mafic intrusions of the Eastern Pontides Orogenic Belt (EPOB) in NE Turkey are found rarely in varying ages, sizes and compositions. Of these, tholeiitic gabbro stocks, namely Kovanlik gabbro, consist of pyroxene gabbro and minor hornblende gabbro with a mainly granular texture. The pymxene gabbro contains plagioclase, clinoand ortho-pyroxene, olivine, and Fe-Ti oxides, whereas the hornblende gabbro includes mainly plagioclase, hornblende, rarely biotite and Fe-Ti oxides. The clinopymxene compositions of the pyroxene gabbro exhibit arc-related tholeiitic magmas. The Kovanlik gabbroic rocks have high U/Yb zircon ratios, implying continental arc-related tectonic settings. Zircon U - Pb dating on the Kovanlik gabbro yielded a concordia age of similar to 92 Ma (Turonian). Petrochemically, the gabbmic rocks have a tholeiitic character and show arc- and MORB-like signatures. The gabbroic rocks show positive Rb, Ba, K, Pb, Sr, Ti and negative Nb, Ce, Nd, Hf, Zr anomalies in NMORB normalized diagrams. The chondrite-normalized REE plots of the rocks show flat to feeble right-dipping REE patterns (La-N/Lu-N = 0.94-2.56) with positive Eu anomalies (Eu-N/Eu-* = 1.15-2.14; except for two pymxene gabbro samples). The gabbmic rocks have Sr-87/(86)Srm ratios (0.704533 to 0.706265), epsilon Nd-(i) values (4.04-4.85), Pb-206/Pb-204 (18.56-18.68) and Pb-207/Pb-204 (15.61-15.64) ratios. Low Nb/La and Nb/Y ratios, as well as high Sr/Yb and Ba/Rb ratios, indicate that source regions were modified by slab-derived fluids and/or melts. The obtained zircon dating, isotopic and geochemical data, as well as regional geology, revealed that the tholeiitic mafic magma derived from a spinel-lherzolite mantle at a relatively shallow depth, and the Kovanlik gabbro in the EPOB represents one of the first mafic intrusions of Late Cretaceous bimodal arc magmatism related to the roll-back of the northwards subducting Tethys oceanic plate.

Automated summary

The study of mafic intrusions in the Eastern Pontides Orogenic Belt in NE Turkey reveals the presence of rare tholeiitic gabbro stocks with varying compositions, indicating a connection to continental or oceanic crust.